See Yous and Goodbyes
by Infinite Skye
Summary: What's the difference between "see you" and "goodbye"? Well, one means there's a next time and the other means it's the last time. Aomine was the one who told Kuroko that. Yet, Kuroko couldn't help but recall who first said "goodbye". Warning: bromantic angst /shot/


**Title: "See You"s and "Goodbye"s**

**Summary:**

**What's the difference between "see you" and "goodbye"? Well, one means there's a next time and the other means it's the last time. Aomine was the one who told Kuroko that. Yet, Kuroko couldn't help but recall who first said "goodbye". Aokuro day oneshot!**

* * *

**Well I couldn't abandon my ultimate OTP so I decided to write this up to celebrate! **

**I hope you guys enjoyed both this and the new chapter 212 (WHICH WAS SOO AWESOME. Omg. can I interpret that as Kise and Aomine both fighting for Kuroko? /shot/)**

* * *

The summer dusk cast an orange glow across the sky, splashing it with the contrasting hints of shadow and light.

The sight of the sky seemed rather melancholic, as if, though beautiful, was about to signal an end.

Aomine stared with detachment, a pink popsicle in mouth as he continued down the streets from a tireless practice.

"Aomine-kun, you've stopped trying at practice." A voice commented beside him.

Aomine turned, meeting the sky blue eyes of the teen beside him.

"Ah" he released before his eyes darted away. "Because there's no point in trying anymore. Tetsu, you saw the score last time. By myself I scored 50 points." He explained.

Kuroko's expression stayed blank. "...Hah. Then congratulations Aomine-kun, are you starting to become like Kise-kun whenever he talks about the amount of love letters he receives?" He voiced, even yet sarcastic as Aomine flinched.

"Hah?!" Aomine gaped. "That's not what I mean-"

"Really? It seems to be exactly what you mean though." Kuroko continued eyes turned to Aomine, revealing a rather serious look.

Aomine blinked.

"Aomine-kun is amazing and as of late, you've gotten more amazing. But it takes all I have to keep up with you. Besides, at this point, I still haven't scored a single goal yet." Kuroko explained.

"Hah? But that's just because you're different!"

"Perhaps but, even so, if I was Aomine's opponent, I would be quite offended if you didn't practice and didn't give your best during games."

Aomine frowned. "I get that but... If I try, won't the gap just increase? The weak will get weaker. Besides Tetsu, although I want that, basketball isn't fun right now at all. I can't feel the thrill anymore when I play." He murmured, staring up at the darkening sky.

"It's over Tetsu..." Aomine said, watching as the orange light began to be engulfed by the deepening night. "What I wanted out of basketball is gone..."

"AUGH!"

Immediately a shivering cold rushed down Aomine's neck.

Kuroko had whacked his popsicle against Aomine's skin.

"That's not true. There is definitely someone better than Aomine-kun out there. Besides, you may be Teiko's ace but, basketball isn't just limited to middle school is it? Does Aomine-kun believe that you can beat Lebron James?" Kuroko asked, stepping forward as Aomine plucked the popsicle down from his back.

Aomine flinched. "W-well maybe not _that_ far ahead."

Kuroko swiveled around, meeting Aomine's eyes. "Then Aomine-kun should better get back to practice. Or else, the day you finally meet your rival, you might not have a chance anymore." He tantalizingly stated.

Aomine smirked, rushing forward to ruffle Kuroko's head. "Heh, true but...when that time comes, I have you right?"

Kuroko blinked, before a smile tinted his features. "Yes."

The two strode down together in content before the finally reached the intersection they would part.

"Well, I'll be going this way now, goodbye Aomine-kun." Kuroko stated as he began to head down in the opposite direction?

"Hah? That's cold Tetsu! What do you mean by goodbye?" Aomine exclaimed.

It was Kuroko's turn to be confused. "Eh?"

"Well, goodbye sounds like we'll never meet again doesn't it?" The tanned male scrutinized.

Kuroko blinked. "Yes...it does."

"Right? That's why, you're supposed to say see ya," Aomine declared with a dazzling grin.

Kuroko widened his eyes. "Yes. See you then, Aomine-kun."

"Yup, see ya!"

* * *

The buzzer rang loud, resounding through the stadium as a desvastating score was displayed on the board.

"Teiko wins! 150-60!" The announcer roared as the second-stringers of the Teiko team stared, wide-eyed. They managed to double their score but...they didn't look happy at all.

After all, there was a monster among them.

Aomine Daiki stood, staring at the board in disbelief, noticing how lost and detached the opposing team seemed, drowning in the depths of despair.

He was too powerful. So powerful that...he made them give up the game.

He made them hate basketball...what was once his favorite sport.

He widened his eyes.

Oh right.

_Once._

He promptly rushed off the court, immediately grabbing his bags to leave, without even bothering to line-up like he was supposed to.

"Aomine-kun."

The swarthy male paused in his steps, frozen before his head turned back, meeting a slightly out of breath blunette, powder blue hair devoid of any signs of his usual sweat whenever he played.

It was only natural...because he didn't play. There wasn't a _need_ for him to play.

Aomine went on...and destroyed everything and everyone.

There was slight bewilderment in Kuroko's eyes, clearly uncharacteristic of him.

Aomine couldn't help but painfully smirk at that.

This was his fault wasn't it?

"Aomine-kun, we're supposed to go back and line u-"

"Tetsu." Aomine interrupted, voice low and pained. "I'm gonna go."

"Eh?"

"Remember what you said to me last time? I...don't think you're wrong but...I'm tired Tetsu. I don't have the energy for find someone like that anymore."

"Aomine-ku-"

"I'm tired Tetsu." Aomine repeated, this time louder, as if in warning.

Kuroko froze. What was this foreign voice? It was the first time...Aomine had seemed so hostile.

"...I just wanna go home."

A heavy atmosphere loomed in the air.

"...Okay. Then, see you tommorrow Aomine-kun."

Aomine turned, striding away. "Yeah. Bye."

Immediately, Kuroko's eyes widened as he watched Aomine exit through the doors, disappearing on the other side.

That wasn't how their farewells were supposed to go right?

Bye meant... "goodbye" didn't it?

Kuroko's heart clenched. It was an irrational notion yet that day, he had a feeling he would never see "Aomine-kun" again.

* * *

Aomine Daiki never came back.

He stopped going to practices and when he did, there was a terrible distance between him and Kuroko.

Yet, no one amongst the Generation of Miracles seemed to notice and...even if they did, they didn't care.

There was only one thing on their mind.

_Winning is everything._

Kuroko stayed silent.

* * *

It was no longer summer.

The leaves fell, scattering the ground like splashed blood.

The birds left, leaving a desecrated land.

Soon, the snow fell, enveloping everything in its empty white, setting everything to zero.

Everything did become zero.

Soon after, a resignation letter was submitted to the basketball club.

It was Kuroko Tetsuya's.

Yet, there was little fuss regarding it.

When Aomine heard the news from a frantic Momoi, all he did was pause in surprise...before his eyes narrowed and he turned on his heels, leaving the scene, ending their conversation with a simple... "so what?"

But that was a lie, something he finally became aware of when he realized he could no longer find Kuroko anywhere.

In actuality, even outside of basketball, they passed by each other a lot. He would randomly meet Kuroko in the halls, in the library, even in the empty music classroom whenever he wanted to take an undisturbed nap.

Yet...from that day on, he no longer saw Kuroko and suddenly, an unease had seeped into his heart...until, he caught that familiar whiff of blue by the rooftop one day, immediately grabbing and spinning the teen around, only to find an empty shell of his partner.

"Tetsu!" Aomine exclaimed, realizing that it had been ages since the word escaped his lips.

The boy before him only released a slight, "ah".

There was no familiar ring of "Aomine-kun."

"Is something the matter?" Kuroko asked, eyes glassed.

Aomine flinched, realizing that he had not thought this far. But...if he was here, he had to ask that forbidden question, the one he pretended to ignore.

"Well...why did you quit the team Tetsu? I thought you loved basketbal-"

"That's not true." An icy voice sliced the air.

Aomine froze.

"That's not true." Kuroko repeated. "I don't like basketball. I hate it."

The words stung harder than Aomine had thought.

It wasn't even supposed to concern him. He didn't like the sport either anymore. He wasn't supposed to care yet...for Kuroko, for he who spent countless hours on the sport to say that...with such a voice?

Kuroko promptly pushed past, maneuvering towards the exit.

"O-oi wait, Tetsu!"

"It's fine Aomine-kun. You don't have to say anything. Besides, Aomine-kun doesn't like basketball anymore either do you?" Kuroko confirmed, head slightly turned back with...a pained expression?

Aomine's breath was gone. Kuroko didn't make such expressions...never! But...he couldn't bring himself to say a thing.

Kuroko was right.

He no longer had the right.

"I was careless today..." Kuroko began, reaching the door. "But, you won't see me around again."

Aomine swiveled up. "Eh?"

"Goodbye, Aomine-kun."

And Aomine never saw Kuroko in middle school again.

On their graduation ceremony, when Aomine grew apathetic to it all, he remembered something when Momoi suddenly decided to leave first with her friends.

"See you, Aomine-kun!" She waved.

"Yeah, see ya."

He paused at that moment.

Didn't he used to say this to someone else?

"Tetsu?"

No...he had always said "bye" to Tetsu. He was overthinking i-

_"Hah? That's cold Tetsu! What do you mean by goodbye? Goodbye sounds like we'll never meet again"_

_"Yes...it does. See you, Aomine-kun."_

Ah.

His eyes widened as he dropped his bag. How did he...forget that?

Ah.

_"But, you won't see me around again. Goodbye, Aomine-kun."_

Ah.

He gnashed his teeth together, angry that he had forgotten something so important...before his body felt limp.

Ah...that, no longer mattered right?

Kuroko was gone.

Aomine himself was gone.

That summer would never come again, it was all too late.

* * *

A year later, Aomine Daiki lost.

"Seirin vs. Touou! Seirin wins!"

The roars of the crowd echoed across the stadium, Aomine staring at the board in disbelief.

He...lost?

They parted ways, leaving the line-up as Aomine heard the broken and silent cries of his teammates.

He felt the same.

He had lost, they had lost.

It was over.

"Aomine-kun." Suddenly, he heard that all-too familiar voice as he turned, meeting a wan youth with powder blue hair, this time, with a bulky male with flame red hair.

"Tetsu."

And then, their words were exchanged.

"You won...Tetsu."

"Aomine-kun."

Kuroko's fist was lifted.

"Ah? What's this?"

"You didn't match mine last time. So please do it properly this time. How do you think I felt, getting ignored?"

Aomine blinked...before he chuckled. "What? You were seriously hung up about that? Well...just this time then."

And so, Aomine matched it.

He then turned, ready to leave.

Yet, Kuroko noticed something wasn't right.

There was still the same despair in Aomine's eyes, as if everything was still over.

He parted his lips.

"...See you, Aomine-kun."

Aomine froze, eyes wide in surprise.

He knew what those words meant, even after so long.

Ah...in the end, Kuroko could still see right through him, just like that summer.

Aomine smirked. "Yeah, see you on the court again, Tetsu. Next time, I won't lose."

"Me too."

* * *

**Now I will return to writing my usual fics. I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot fellow Aokuro fans!**


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